Michelle Zenor Addresses Athens Rotary Club
Michelle Zenor, director of the Henderson County Clint W. Murchison Library, addressed the Athens Rotary Club this week with a blend of statistics, historical context and good humor. Her presentation highlighted how a modest county library continues to deliver services well beyond expectations.
Library's Community Impact
Zenor reported that in the past year the library logged about 28,000 in-person interactions, circulated more than 45,000 books and media items, and offered 542 free programs. These figures, she said, illustrate the institution’s broad reach in the community.
Suggestions and Core Values
She also recounted suggestions she sometimes hears to start charging for events, noting lightheartedly that programs such as teddy bear picnics or New Year’s Eve celebrations might turn a profit.
Zenor stressed, however, that charging would contradict the core purpose of a public library. "The library exists to provide free access for everyone," she said, adding that in Texas a library can lose its accreditation if it begins charging for services.